17. Verse 2 And the earth was a void and an emptiness, and there was thick darkness over the face ¹ of the deep; and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face ¹ of the waters. The person who has yet to be regenerated is called 'a void and an empty earth', and also 'ground', in which no good or truth at all has been sown - 'void' where there is no good, and 'empty' where there is no truth. Consequently there is 'thick darkness', or stupidity and lack of knowledge about anything that has to do with faith in the Lord and so anything that has to do with spiritual and celestial life. This kind of person is described by the Lord through Jeremiah,

My people are foolish, they know Me not; they are stupid children, having no understanding; they are wise to do evil, and know not how to do good. I looked to the earth, and, behold, a void and an emptiness; and towards the heavens, and they had no light. Jeremiah 4:22-23, 25.

Footnotes:

5226. Verses 9-13 And the chief of the cupbearers spoke to Pharaoh, saying, I remember my sins today. Pharaoh was incensed with his servants, and put me into custody in the house of the chief of the attendants, me and the chief of the bakers. And we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each according to the interpretation of his own dream. And a Hebrew boy was there with us, a servant to the chief of the attendants; and we told him, and he interpreted our dreams for us; to each according to his dream he gave the interpretation. And it happened, that as he interpreted to us, so it came about. He restored me to my position, and he hanged him.

'And the chief of the cupbearers spoke to Pharaoh' means thought formed by the sensory power subject to the understanding part of the mind. 'Saying' means the perception resulting from this. 'I remember my sins today' means regarding a state of separation. 'Pharaoh was incensed with his servants' means when the natural turned away. 'And put me into custody in the house of the chief of the attendants' means a casting aside from what exists first and foremost in explanations. 'Me and the chief of the bakers' means both kinds of sensory power. 'And we dreamed a dream in one night' means that which was foreseen in obscurity. 'I and he' means regarding both kinds of sensory power. 'We dreamed each according to the interpretation of his own dream' means what was to be the outcome of both. 'And a Hebrew boy was there with us' means that owing to temptation the guiltlessness of the Church had been cast away there. 'A servant of the chief of the attendants' means in which there was truth that served that which came first and foremost in explanations. 'And we told him' means resulting perception. 'And he interpreted our dreams for us' means what the things foreseen in obscurity held within them. 'To each according to his dream he gave the interpretation' means from [a knowledge of] the truth. 'And it happened, that as he interpreted to us, so it came about' means that so was the outcome. 'He restored me to my position' means that the sensory power belonging to the understanding part of the mind was accepted. 'And he hanged him' means that the sensory power belonging to the will part was cast aside.